Cab-Hailing App Uber Hits Seoul

Uber, the mobile taxi-hailing application that hooks up passengers with vehicles for hire, is taking on Seoul — its first Asian megacity — and Uber’s biggest market yet.

The app was launched just three years ago, but it is growing at a voracious rate. From its home in San Francisco, Uber has already expanded into New York, London and 34 other cities around the world, vexing taxi unions and changing the way the tech-savvy get around town.

Uber

For Uber, Seoul offers unique opportunities as well as potential headaches. On the plus side, the city is one of the most wired in the world, with smartphones virtually ubiquitous.

In spite of that, getting around the city is still mostly an analog affair. By day, Seoul’s sprawling subway system does most of the heavy lifting, while late-night partygoers in Itaewon, Hongdae and Gangnam wait by the side of the streets, competing for a late-night cab.

Corrections & Amplifications

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Uber has a global fleet of 60,000 taxis. That’s the number of taxis currently in service in Seoul, according to the company.